]]>http://dystnow.com/2018/02/20/4szns-feat-rod-beard/feed/0239942Bracketology 2/19http://dystnow.com/2018/02/19/bracketology-2-19/
http://dystnow.com/2018/02/19/bracketology-2-19/#respondMon, 19 Feb 2018 22:01:58 +0000http://dystnow.com/?p=239937 As we get closer and closer to one of the greatest days of the year that is Selection Sunday, things are heating up when it comes to bracketology. There’s a lot of talk about teams on the bubble as usual but there is also a lot of talk about the teams at the top thanks to the top 16 seeds that the selection committee released last weekend. Teams such as Michigan State, Oklahoma, and others have become a hot topic of conversation of who should be seeded where. Let’s take a look at some resumes of two of the top teams in the country.

Team A is the aforementioned Michigan State Spartans and Team B is the Xavier Musketeers. Last Sunday, the committee had Xavier as the fourth #1 seed while the Spartans were a #3 seed. Despite a lot of talk that the committee is starting to use more of the new, advanced metrics; its seems that they main factors they’re still using are RPI and how many top wins you have. At the end of the day, both of these teams are very good basketball teams that are capable of making runs in the tournament, however most college basketball pundits would say Michigan State is the better team. I guess it depends on what numbers you’re using.

A Few Notes:
-Not a whole lot of changes at the bottom of the bracket as it was a really good week for bubble teams. To name a few of the big wins we saw this past week, St. Bonaventure beat Rhode Island, Arkansas beat Texas A&M, Texas beat Oklahoma, and Houston beat Cincinnati. Those were all teams that were already in the field and used those wins to help their case even more. So, even though teams like Baylor and Penn State had big wins last week as well, they are still on the outside looking in because of the success of the bubble teams ahead of them.

-For the first time since the 2010-2011 season, there will be zero undefeated teams in conference play in all of college basketball. The last two undefeated teams in conference play both lost this weekend as Rhode Island lost its first game in the A-10 and Vermont lost its first game in America East. But just because these mid-majors each suffered a loss this weekend, don’t sleep on them come March as Rhode Island has one of the deepest backcourts in the country with four guards that can all make plays and Vermont is an efficient offensive team that shoots 40.4% from beyond the arc which is 14th best in the nation.

Stoudemire played 14 seasons in the NBA. He was drafted with the ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, where he won 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year, and played for eight seasons. In 2010, he signed with the New York Knicks as a free agent. His high-profile signing put an end to the team’s playoff drought and sparked a three-season playoff run. He went on to play with the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat, before signing a one-day contract to retire as a New York Knick in 2016. Following his NBA career, Stoudemire moved overseas and played two seasons in Israel for Hapoel Jerusalem, helping his team win the Israeli Basketball League Cup in 2016 and the Israeli League championship in 2017.

Throughout his career, Stoudemire averaged 18.9 points (15,994 total) and 7.8 rebounds (6,632) in 846 career games. He was a six-time NBA All-Star, and was named to five All-NBA Teams (two first teams, three second teams). He also won a bronze medal with the United States national team at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Stoudemire will join a Tri-State squad that finished sixth in 2017, after falling short to 3’s Company in the BIG3 Playoffs. Tri-State will round out its three remaining roster spots in the BIG3 Draft.

]]>http://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/amare-stoudemire-signs-for-the-2018-big3-season/feed/0239931Mike Glennon “likely done” in Chicagohttp://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/mike-glennon-likely-done-in-chicago/
http://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/mike-glennon-likely-done-in-chicago/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 15:59:57 +0000http://dystnow.com/?p=239928This shouldn’t come to a surprise to any. But according to ESPN’s Bears reporter Jeff Dickerson, believes the “writing is clearly on the wall” that Mike Glennon won’t be back with the team for the 2018 season.

The Bears have already paid Glennon $16 million, and the plan is for that to be all he gets from them before he’s due a $2.5 million roster bonus later this offseason. For $16 million, Glennon made four starts for Chicago, completing 93-of-140 passes (66.4%) for 833 yards (6.0 YPA) and a 4:5 TD:INT ratio while losing three fumbles. The Bears aren’t going to pay him $15 million to be a backup.

Though, Glennon isn’t done yet. If his time does come to an end this offseason, he’ll likely get an opportunity somewhere as a lot of teams are still trying to fill that quarterback void.

Anderson who just turned 27 on Sunday is coming off of a career-high season as he rushed for his first 1,000 yard season to go with three touchdowns. Anderson still has two years left on his contract at $4.5 million salaries in 2018 and 2019, but the Broncos will suffer zero dead-money hits if they choose to release him. This comes as shocking news as Anderson looked like the only bright spot in Denver this season. But, according to Legwold, Denver wants Devontae Booker to be its starter, and Anderson was very critical of the Broncos’ move to fire RBs coach Eric Studesville.

]]>http://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/c-j-anderson-likely-done-in-denver/feed/0239925Johnny Manziel to join the Spring Leaguehttp://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/239921/
http://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/239921/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 15:41:05 +0000http://dystnow.com/?p=239921The newest addition to the Spring League this season is a big one. Former Texas A&M and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has accepted an invitation to the second-year, Spring League. Choosing this over the CFL, Manziel told the Bleacher Report that he’s ready to show NFL scouts what he can do.

“Football has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. Sometimes you take for granted how much you value something until it’s gone. My goal is to make it back to the NFL and I realize I have to earn that privilege. The Spring League has provided me with a great opportunity to play ball again, and ultimately, that is all I want to do. I miss the competition. I’d like to thank Brian Woods and The Spring League staff for this opportunity to play the game I love. I’ve made my share of mistakes, but I’m 25 years old and I know my best football is ahead of me.”

“We’re excited to have such a dynamic player in Johhny Manziel taking part in the Spring League,” Spring League CEO Brian Woods said in a statement provided to Bleacher Report. “We believe our platform is the ideal forum for Mr. Manziel to enact his NFL comeback.”

Schedule

Saturday, April 7

12:30 p.m.: Spring League East vs. Spring League West

4:30 p.m.: Spring League North vs. Spring League South (Manziel)

Saturday, April 14

12:30 p.m.: Spring League North vs. Spring League East

4:30 p.m.: Spring League West vs. Spring League South (Manziel)

]]>http://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/239921/feed/0239921Derrick Johnson set to become a free agent after 13 seasons with Chiefshttp://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/derrick-johnson-set-to-become-a-free-agent-after-13-seasons-with-chiefs/
http://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/derrick-johnson-set-to-become-a-free-agent-after-13-seasons-with-chiefs/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 14:33:53 +0000http://dystnow.com/?p=239918KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that linebacker Derrick Johnson will become a free agent when his contract with the club expires at the start of the new league year on March 14. The announcement ends Johnson’s 13-year run with the Chiefs.

“Few players in recent history have meant more to the Chiefs franchise and the Kansas City community than Derrick Johnson,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “His tireless work ethic and passion for the game made him one of the most productive defensive players to ever wear a Chiefs uniform and one of the most respected players both in our locker room and around the league. Over the last 13 seasons, Derrick represented himself and the Chiefs organization with integrity and class, and he will always be a part of our Chiefs family.”

Johnsonis the franchise’s all-time leading tackler, compiling 1,262 career stops (993 solo) in his 13 seasons with the Chiefs (2005-17). He earned four Pro Bowl berths in his time with the club.

“I’ve been blessed to be a part of the Kansas City Chiefs organization my entire career,” Johnson said. “I’d like to thank the Hunt family, my coaches, teammates and the staff for the tremendous amount of support I received over the years. I love Kansas City and this fan base, they’ve always had my back. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to spend 13 years in a place I love. I plan on playing for several more years because I love this game so much, but I look forward to retiring as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs when my career is over. I’ll miss my Chiefs teammates – we made a lot of big plays together over the years – and I wish them the best in bringing a championship home to the best and loudest fans in the NFL.”

General Manager Brett Veach and Head Coach Andy Reid weighed in on Johnson’s tenure in Kansas City.

“Letting go of a player like Derrick is particularly tough because of how much respect I have for him as a player and as a person,” Veach said. “He’s had a tremendous career here in Kansas City, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

“I’m grateful I had the opportunity to coach a player like Derrick,” Reid said. “He’s a passionate football player and a natural leader. I value the amount of quality work he put in every day for us, including teaching our younger players what it means to be a pro. I think he will make an incredible coach when he is done playing the game, if he chooses.”

]]>http://dystnow.com/2018/02/14/4szns-feat-xavier-silas/feed/0239914Bracketology 2/12http://dystnow.com/2018/02/12/bracketology-2-12/
http://dystnow.com/2018/02/12/bracketology-2-12/#respondMon, 12 Feb 2018 20:25:25 +0000http://dystnow.com/?p=239908​I’m happy to be back here at DYSTNow to bring you college basketball analysis and weekly bracketology. Apologies for my midseason hiatus but as a Philadelphian, I was a little preoccupied with a magical run usually seen in March (Go Birds). Anyways, most of you probably know the big college headlines as we get in to the final stretch of the season: Trae Young. Young has dominated the headlines in the college basketball world and rightfully so as he leads all of division one in points per game and assists per game as a freshman. Wow. However, there are some other interesting storylines going on other than Young as we get closer and closer to March. So, before you check to see whether your team is in or not, here are some headlines you might have missed so far this season.

​So, those were literally just some of the headlines you might have seen if you have followed college basketball at all this season. If you want to know more about them, well you should have paid attention. It has been an exciting season so far and while the season started back in November, most of the sports world is just tuning in. Don’t miss out on some exciting games down the stretch here in February as teams battle for regular season conference titles and a spot in the big dance.

]]>http://dystnow.com/2018/02/12/bracketology-2-12/feed/0239908Fantasy Insight: Marcus Mariotahttp://dystnow.com/2018/02/08/fantasy-insight-marcus-mariota/
http://dystnow.com/2018/02/08/fantasy-insight-marcus-mariota/#respondThu, 08 Feb 2018 21:24:00 +0000http://dystnow.com/?p=239902I know it’s SUPER early but I’m already loving everything about Marcus Mariota next season. Reason being? I love the addition of their new offensive coordinator, Matt LaFleur, who helped out tremendously with the Los Angeles Rams offense this past season. In the 2016-17 season the Rams total offense ranked dead last in the NFL. In just one year’s time, LaFleur turned them into a top ten offense, finishing tenth just behind Tampa Bay.

I’m also loving what he has to say. “It’s extremely difficult to dink and dunk all the way down the field. Defenses are just too good,” LaFleur said. “Statistically, the teams are getting the chunk plays — the explosives — are the teams that are going produce more yards and more points.”

Remember at the end of the 2016 season when Mariota played extremely well when the Titans opened up their attack? I can’t wait to see what he does this upcoming season.